Multipurpose holder for bottles

ABSTRACT

A multipurpose holder for bottles having a base support and a housing releasably attached thereto. The housing has a frontal opening cooperating with an extended opening in the base support. An elastic valve ball is rotatably mounted to sidewalls of the base support so that a part of the valve ball is accessible through said openings. A support means is positioned below the valve ball to hold a neck of a bottle and place the opening of the bottle in closable cooperation with the valve ball. An opening claw can be provided below the support means.

United States Patent Wendland [54] MULTIPURPOSE HOLDER FOR BOTTLES [72] Inventor: Gertrud Wendland, Neckarsteinacher Str.

58, Hirschhorn, Germany [22] Filed: May4, 1970 [21] Appl.No.: 34,207

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data May 7, 1969 Germany ..P 19 23 332.0

[52] U.S.Cl ..248/312,211/76,211/84 [51] Int. Cl. ..A47j 45/04 [58] Field oISearch ..248/309,3ll,312,313; 211/71, 74, 75, 76, 88, 84; 232/41 [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,112,300 9/1914 Ligeour ..248/313 X 1,294,883 2/1919 Dixon et al. ....248/3 12 1,452,761 4/1923 Roberts ..248/108 [451 'Feb.l,1972

2,502,564 4/1950 Hansson ..248/19 X 2,575,971 11/1951 Navarro ..232/41 3,030,730 4/1962 Costar ..248/l88.2

3,480,243 1 H1969 Summervillc ..248/264 FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 503,259 12/1954 Italy ..248/311 Primary Examiner-J. Franklin Foss Attorneywebb, Burden, Robinson & Webb 5 7] ABSTRACT A multipurpose holder for bottles having a base support and a housing releasably attached thereto. The housing has a frontal opening cooperating with an extended opening in the base support. An elastic valve ball is rotatably mounted to sidewalls of the base support so that a part of the valve ball is accessible through said openings. A support means is positioned below the valve ball to hold a neck of a bottle and place the opening of the bottle in closable cooperation with the valve ball. An opening claw can be provided below the support means.

11 Claims, 7 Drawing Figures INVEN OI-P.

Gerrrud Wa By W HE? ATTORNEYS MULTIPURPOSE HOLDER FOR BOTTLES The invention relates to a multipurpose holder for bottles, more particularly, bottles with crown seals or with other uniform necks. The holder has a base support which can be fixed to any desired surface, and the bottom of which is open. This bottom opening merges into a cutout in the front wall of the base support and a valve ball which consists of an elastic material is rotatably arranged in the housing by means of a shaft so that part of the valve ball can be readily accessible through the cutout in the front wall.

Nearly all bottles with refreshment beverages are closed with crown seals which are nonreusable so that once a bottle is opened it cannot be again completely closed using the same crown seal. For reclosing the bottle, a separate closure device is required. A combined opener and closure device is known, in which an angled bridge is provided at a free end with a metal web. For opening the bottle, the metal web is inserted under the rim of the crown seal, the bridge is pressed downwardly and thus the crown seal is lifted. To enable the bottle to be reclosed, the bridge is widened adjoining on the metal web in such a way that the diameter of this widening corresponds to the diameter of the bottle rim. On the underside of this widened plate, the marginal section of which is curved downwardly, a conical extension is arranged. When reclosing the bottle, thedevice is applied onto the bottle rim so that the metal web engages in the groove of the bottle neck. The bridge is then pressed down, so that the device snaps in and closes the bottle. The long lever arm of this closure extends away from the bottle.

Although in this manner a closure of an only partly emptied bottle is possible, there remains the question of putting down such a bottle, especially if the use is taking place in a vehicle. In such a case, the bottle is either held in the hand, placed or lain on the floor or put into a pocket. However, as soon as the bottle is released from the hand, the danger exists that the projecting lever catches somewhere and releases the closure. To lie the bottle on the floor is not only unhygenic but is also annoying since it rolls around and causes noise.

My invention provides a multipurpose holder for bottles with crown seal closures in which the opened bottle can be reclosed by hand and at the same time held fixed so that it is not released from the holder by vibrations and movements such as occur, for example, in vehicles.

My invention also provides a multipurpose, two-component holder in which a housing can be removed to expose a base support to permit easy cleaning of both components.

My invention may also provide for opening the bottle, i.'e., for lifting the crown seal by the inclusion ofan opening claw.

The subject invention is a multipurpose holder for bottles, more particularly, of the kind using crown seal closures which comprise a base support which can be fixed to a vertical, horizontal, oblique or curved surface, and the bottom of which is open, the said bottom opening merging into a cutout in the front wall of the base support, a valve ball of elastic material arranged rotatable with a shaft being provided in the base support, part of the valve ball being accessible from the outside through the cutout in the front wall. The holder is constructed in two parts and consists of a base support and a housing, which can be clamped or snapped onto this base, the cover plate of which is provided with a cutout which extends from the lower marginal section to above the halfway point of the plate. The base includes a support to position and hold the bottle, and can also include an opening claw to open the crown seal in the first instance.

In order to make the invention clearly understood, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings which are given by way ofexample and in which:

FIG. 1 is a front elevation of the housing in which the valve ball is also shown, the remaining parts of the interior having been omitted for clarity;

FIG. 2 is an internal elevation of a sidewall of the housing cover in which the commencement regions of the connecting wall and the throughgoing strip on the wall edges are shown in section;

FIG. 3 is a bottom view of the housing cover corresponding to FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a front elevation of the support base;

FIG. 5 is a side elevation of the support base with the valve ball shown;

FIG. 6 is a bottom view of the support base corresponding to FIG. 4; and

FIG. 7 is an isometric of an auxiliary wedge which can be used for mounting the holder.

The holder includes a removable housing 3 and a support base 2. The holder 1, in the closed condition, has a large cutout or recess 6 in the front wall, which extends into it from the bottom opening. The width of this opening is so selected that a bottle neck can be easily inserted. The housing 3 is separable from the support base 2 and can be easily snapped onto this base. 1

For mounting the support base 2, longitudinal holes or slots 16 are provided in its rear wall, through which fixing screws (not illustrated) are inserted. Since the support base 2 is completely open forwardly, these slots 16 are readily accessible. From the oppositely lying upper sections of the rear wall edges of the base 2, two arms 2a extend. The free front ends of these sidearms 2a are forked and form seats 9 for the respective ends of the shaft 10 upon which is mounted valve ball 11. The fork limbs can be resiliently formed and somewhat widened in the seat 9 relative to the fork opening. Due to the resilient nature of the fork limbs, the shaft 10 of the valve ball 11 can be pushed into the seat 9 with a light pressure, or removed therefrom by a light pull. In this manner, the valve ball 11 can be very simply removed and cleaned. The valve ball 11 and shaft 10 are rotatably mounted in seat 9.

From the oppositely lying lower rear wall side sections of base 2, there likewise extend two similar sidearms 2b, which in their rearward part are connected together by an inwardly curved strip, so as to form an ideal guide fork 12 for the bottle neck said guide fork constructed with a receiving surface 16, which essentially facilitates an insertion of the bottleneck. The upper arms 2a of the socket 2 are advantageously connected with each other in their rearward part, likewise by an inwardly curved strip 12, which essentially corresponds to the curvature of the valve ball 11 and thus of the curve of the bottle neck. The base 2 of the housing 1 is additionally strengthened by the two curved strips 12 and 12. Furthermore, the housing base 2 may be provided below the guide fork 12, with an opening claw 15 for crown seals. This is advantageously strengthened with a metal insert or the like, in order to avoid premature wear. Upper arms 2a and sidearms 2b can also be connected by solid continuous sidewalls (not shown).

In order to be able to apply the housing 3 onto the base 2 and snap it into place in each of the oppositely lying side edges of the rear wall of the base 2, a depression or cutout 8 is arranged. In the present embodiment, these depressions 8 are provided at the height of the sidearms 2a. The upper section of the rear wall of the base 2 is curved forwardly in such a manner that the front edge lies essentially vertically. This edge is formed in a steplike manner, as shown at 20. A corresponding but oppositely stepped formation is arranged on the rearward edge (FIG. 2) of the housing 3, so that when applying the housing 3 onto the base 2, these edge steps engage in each other and ensure a firm seating.

For guiding the housing 3 when applying it onto the base 2, the lower piece of its side edges is cut in or cut away in such a manner that an upwardly and forwardly directed bevel 13 results (FIG. 5).

The housing 3 of the holder 1 consists of two sidewalls 4 which are connected with each other by a connecting wall 4a which abuts partly on their upper edges and on the lower sections of their side edges. This connecting wall 4a simultaneously forms the upper cover cap of the housing 3. Diagonally to this connecting wall, a throughgoing strip 5 is provided which connects the lower sections of the rearward edges of the sidewalls 4.

In FIG. 2, the abutment regions of the connecting wall or cover cap 4a and of the throughgoing strip 5 can be seen in section. On the inner surface of each sidewall 4, a nipple or detent projection 7 is arranged. When applying the housing 3 onto the base 2, this nipple or detent projection 7 registers with the depression or recess 8 in the side edge of the rear wall of the base 2.

The upper edge of the throughgoing strip between the rearward edges of the sidewalls 5 of the housing 3, is engaged on the guide 13 on the base 2, and the cover is drawn over the sidearms 2a and 2b of the base 2, as about a pivot point, and with a light pressure the nipple or detent projection 7 is engaged in the depression or recess 8. Thus, the rearwardly stepped edge (FIG. 2) of the connecting wall or cover cap 4a abuts on the forwardly directed edge 2c of the base rear wall and the complementary steps engage in each other. The abut ment region of the upper edge with the rearward edge of each sidewall 4 of the housing 3 is rounded off in a circular arc 4 corresponding to the curvature of the forwardly curved rear wall section ofthe base 2.

A compensating or auxiliary wedge (FIG. 7) can be used when mounting the device on the support, and for enabling a clean seam connection.

The housing 3 is matched in its size and shape to the base 2, so that both parts can be firmly placed together so as to form a closed unit. The upper limit 4b of the opening 6 in the housing cover 3 is preferably rounded off and gives a The of about the lower half of the ball 11. The ball is of such a size that it can close all available bottle openings of the kind normally closed by crown seals.

The ball 11 consists of an elastic material, such as rubber or a suitable synthetic plastic, which presses firmly onto the bottle opening when pressed against the same.

The holder works as follows. The guide 12 is so constructed with the receiving surface 16 that it ensures an application of the bottle opening onto the valve ball mounted further up in the housing at an angle of about 45 without pressure and without the possibility ofan incorrect positioning ofthe bottle. After the opened bottle has been applied in this manner, that is to say at an angle of 45 onto the valve ball, it is swung downwardly until it is substantially vertical, whereupon the guide 12 acts to cause the necessary initial pressure on the valve ball for reliable closure and for firm holding. Swinging of the bottle in the opposite direction simultaneously releases the closure and the holding.

The holder can consist of a synthetic plastic or metal. The two components can be easily taken apart and put together, so that neither the fixing onto the support nor the cleaning ofthe interior of the housing and the ball offers any difficulty.

I claim:

l. A multipurpose holder for bottles having a base support including sidewalls and a rear wall which define an extended opening in the frontal and bottom regions thereof, an elastic valve ball rotatably mounted by shaft means to said sidewalls so that part of the valve ball is accessible through said extended opening and support means positioned below said elastic valve ball and internally of the base support and about said side and rear walls to form a guide fork, said guide fork having a receiving surface to accommodate and position a neck ofa bottle at about 45 while the opening of the bottle is in loose cooperation with the valve ball and to support said bottle and place the opening of the bottle in sealable cooperation with said valve ball when said bottle is swung downward to a substantially vertical position.

2. The holder of claim 1 including a housing snapped or clamped onto the base support, said housing having a frontal opening aligned with the extended opening of the base support.

3. The holder of claim 2 wherein the support base sidewalls include at least two oppositely disposed sidearms extending forwardly from upper sections of edges of the rear wall, in the free ends of which the ends ofthe shaft means are mounted.

4. The holder of claim 2 wherein the rear wall of the base support is provided with a plurality of longitudinal holes or slots for passin through fixin screws.

5. The hol er of claim wherein the housing has two sidewalls connected together by a connecting wall abutting partly on its upper edges and on the upper sections of its side edges, and by a throughgoing strip positioned between the lower sections of the rearward edges ofthe sidewalls.

6. The holder of claim 2 wherein the upper section of the rear wall is forwardly curved and terminates in a steplike free edge to cooperate with a top surface ofsaid housing.

7. The holder of claim 2 wherein a depression is provided on the oppositely lying outer edges of the rear wall of the base support and into which a corresponding nipple or detent projection on an inner surface ofthe sidewalls of said housing can engagingly fit.

8. The holder of claim 2 wherein an opening claw is positioned below the guide fork formed in the base support.

9. The holder of claim 3 wherein the free ends of the sidearms are forked, and the forks form seats into which the ends ofthe shaft means are releasably inserted.

10. The holder of claim 6 wherein a compensation wedge is provided to cooperate with the forwardly curved section of said rear wall to facilitate permanent mounting of said holder.

11. The holder of claim 8 wherein the opening claw is strengthened by a metal insert. 

1. A multipurpose holder for bottles having a base support including sidewalls and a rear wall which define an extended opening in the frontal and bottom regions thereof, an elastic valve ball rotatably mounted by shaft means to said sidewalls so that part of the valve ball is accessible through said extended opening and support means positioned below said elastic valve ball and internally of the base support and about said side and rear walls to form a guide fork, said guide fork having a receiving surface to accommodate and position a neck of a bottle at about 45* while the opening of the bottle is in loose cooperation with the valve ball and to support said bottle and place the opening of the bottle in sealable cooperation with said valve ball when said bottle is swung downward to a substantially vertical position.
 2. The holder of claim 1 including a housing snapped or clamped onto the base support, said housing having a frontal opening aligned with the extended opening of the base support.
 3. The holder of claim 2 wherein the support base sidewalls include at least two oppositely disposed sidearms extending forwardly from upper sections of edges of the rear wall, in the free ends of which the ends of the shaft means are mounted.
 4. The holder of claim 2 wherein the rear wall of the base support is provided with a plurality of longitudinal holes or slots for passing through fixing screws.
 5. The holder of claim 2 wherein the housing has two sidewalls connected together by a connecting wall abutting partly on its upper edges and on the upper sections of its side edges, and by a throughgoing strip positioned between the lower sections of the rearward edges of the sidewalls.
 6. The holder of claim 2 wherein the upper section of the rear wall is forwardly curved and terminates in a steplike free edge to cooperate with a top surface of said housing.
 7. The holder of claim 2 wherein a depression is provided on the oppositely lying outer edges of the rear wall of the base support and into which a corresponding nipple or detent projection on an inner surface of the sidewalls of said housing can engagingly fit.
 8. The holder of claim 2 wherein an opening claw is positioned below the guide fork formed in the base support.
 9. The holder of claim 3 wherein the free ends of the sidearms are forked, and the forks form seats into which the ends of the shaft means are releasably inserted.
 10. The holder of claim 6 wherein a compensation wedge is provided to cooperate with the forwardly curved section of said rear wall to facilitate permanent mounting of said holder.
 11. The holder of claim 8 wherein the opening claw is strengthened by a metal insert. 